Control and safety device against explosions of tubing and receivers in air compressing plants



Dec. 5, 1950 E. E. FENERON 2,532,

CONTROL AND SAFETY DEVICE AGAINST EXPLOSIONS 0F TUBING AND RECEIVERS IN AIR COMPRESSING PLANTS Filed Aug. 4. 1947 THEE/105714776 DfV/C E M k INVENTOR- W I O iya Patented Dec. 5, 1950 CONTROL AND SAFETY DEVICE AGAINST EXPLOSIONS OF TUBING AND RECEIVERS IN AIR COMPRESSING PLANTS Emile Etienne Feneron, Clichy. France, assignor to Socrete Airseco, a socit of France Application August 4. 1947, Serial No. 765,954

In France March 28, 1939 7 Section 1, Public Law 690, August s, 1946 Patent expires March 28, 1959 The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting the existence of an incipient explosion hazard in a compressed air-oil vapor mixture produced by air compressing arrangement, and more particularly to an apparatus of the kind described in "which the air compressing arrangement includes air, delivery valve means and is adapted to deliver, in the event of proper operation of the air delivery valve means, an air-oil vapor mixture having a predetermined compression and a corresponding predetermined compression temperature which is reached in the event of proper operation of the air delivery valve means and which is lying, due to heat radiation, below a critical temperature which is reached in the event of improper operation of the air delivery valve means and at which critical temperature the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode.

This cause of explosion occurs very frequently but is most difficult to detect.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an eflicient device for detecting the existence of an incipient explosion hazard of the kind described.

An apparatus according to the present invention comprises in combination a signal device and a thermostatic device mounted in exposed relation to the compressed air-oil vapor mixture close to the point of discharge of the same from the air compressing arrangement and. operating the signal device when the temperature at the point of mounting of the thermostatic device reaches a predetermined signal temperature a lying between the predetermined compression temperature reached in the event of proper operation of the air delivery valve means and the critical temperature reached in the event of improper operation of the air delivery valve means and at which critical temperature the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which the only figure is a sectional elevation of an air compressor provided with the detecting device according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a compressor I is arranged in a casing l and connected to a 1 Claim; (01. 177-311) supply pipe 5 through intake valves 6. The compressor l is connected at the delivery side thereof through delivery valves '1 to a delivery pipe 8 leading to a reservoir 2. At the entry of the de'-' livery pipe 8 a thermostatic device 3 is mounted in exposed relation to the compressed air-oilvapor mixture which is produced in the compressor I and the casing in owing to the oil lubrieating the movable parts thereof. The thermostatic device is connected in a series circuit with a signal device 4 and a battery 9.

The operation of this device is as follows:

Air is sucked in by the compressor 1 through the supply pipe 5 and the intake valves 6. Compressed air is delivered by the compressor I through the delivery valves 1 to the delivery pipe 8 and to the reservoir 2. If the air delivery valve means are operating properly, that is if the intake and delivery valves 6 and 1 are air-tight in the closed position thereof, the air-oil vapor mixture produced in the compressor l and the casing l0 thereof has a predetermined compression and a corresponding predetermined compression temperature at which the thermostatic device 3 does not close the circuit for the signal device 4. However, in the event of an improper operation of the air delivery valve means 6, l a critical temperature is reached at which the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode. The thermostatic device 3 switches in the signal device 4 at a temperature at the point of mounting the same which lies between the predetermined compression temperature reached in the event of proper operation of the air delivery valve means 6, i and the critical temperature reached in the event of improper operation of the air delivery valve means at which the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode.

it will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or moretogether, may also find a useful application in other types of apparatuses for detecting the existence of an incipient explosion hazard differing from the types described above.

While I have illustrated and described the invention as embodied in an apparatus for detecting the existence of an incipient explosion hazard in an air-oil vapor mixture produced by air compression arrangement, I do not intend to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of my invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of my invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Apparatus for detecting the existence of an incipient explosion hazard in a compressed airoil vapor mixture produced by air compressing arrangement including air delivery'valve means and adapted to deliver, in the event of proper operation of said air delivery valve means an airoil vapor mixture having a predetermined compression and a corresponding predetermined compression temperature which is reached in the event of proper operation of said air delivery valve means and which is lying due to heat radiation, below a critical temperature which is. reached in the event of improper operation of said air delivery valve means and at which critical temperature the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode, said apparatus comprising, combination a signal device; and a thermostatic device mounted in exposed relation to the compressed air-oil vapor mixture close to the point of discharge of the same from said air compressing arrangement and operating said signal device when the temperature at. the point of mounting of said thermostatic device reaches a predetermined signal temperature lying between said predetermined compression temperature reached in the event of proper operation of said air delivery valve means and said critical temperature reached in the event of improper operation of said air delivery valve means and at which critical temperature the air-oil vapor mixture present is apt to explode.

EMILE ETIENNE FENERON.

REFERENCES CITED The, following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,246,656 Potter Novr 13,,1817 1,448, 5i0 Houskeeper in. Apr. 21, 1923 1,695,295 Rollins d. Dec. 1 192.8 2,037,748 Zahodiakin Apr. 21, 19.38 2,219,391 Jacobson Oct. 29, 19.40 2,351,408 De Beaumont. June 13 1944 

